Yesterday was the Ojai WordFest Book Festival. It was nice. Rain was expected, so they had tables grouped under canopies in little vendor communities. It was quite attractive, actually. I’m more accustomed to seeing rows of vendor/author tables. But this was a creative way to use a smaller space and give everyone pretty much equal exposure.
I was told by the organizer that everything that could go wrong went wrong that morning. However, everything seemed to be on schedule and all volunteers and organizers were beyond gracious. Impressive.
But that isn’t what you came here to learn today. You want more information about how to work a book festival so it works for you. I told you that I would share my observations—what works and what doesn’t work at book festivals.
I watched as one couple used a most effective sales tactic. After sitting behind their books for a while and with few sales occurring, the gentleman came outside their booth—book in hand—and began handing it to passersby.
He explained to me later that their book has the wrong cover and maybe the wrong title. They know it now, after the fact. And folks, this is a good reason why a test product is a good idea. And this is also why authors should consult professionals and listen to them. But we (authors) can be a stubborn lot. We become attached to a cover design or a title and changing is out of the question. In some cases, as with this couple, your attachment can come back to bite you.
So knowing that their cover gives pretty much the wrong impression of their book, these authors will open a copy of the book to the table of contents and ask passersby to read it. They show the cover and then point out the table of contents. I kid you not, after reading through these pages, many people would come up with a reason to buy the book.
I have to say that at some organizers of book festivals, such as the upcoming major Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, do not permit what I call “hawking”—standing outside the booth to hand out or hand-sell anything. You can ask passersby to take a closer look at your book, though. You can reach out to visitors as long as you do it from inside the booth.
About the book cover: I sat in a booth with an author once who did not have one expression of interest from the crowd at all. While others were selling books, talking to potential customers, etc., this author sat alone… all day. I took a closer look at her book and boy was it drab. There was nothing about the book to make anyone want to take a second look. The title was buried in the drab brownish shades of the cover. Not only was it uninteresting and uninviting, it was almost repulsive to look at. I do not think that anyone even picked up that book. Books are many times judged by their covers—so keep that in mind when you are choosing yours.
Yesterday, I saw many author/vendors doing the right thing—engaging visitors, handing them promo pieces and/or engaging them in conversation. And I saw some of them doing everything wrong—sitting quietly behind their books, looking unfriendly and unapproachable.
Here’s what I do, I greet everyone walking by if they even glance in my direction. I may comment on something they’re wearing, their dog on a leash or the weather. If someone expresses an interest in one of my publishing-related books, I ask, “Are you a writer?” If they pick up my book of cat stories, I ask, “Do you have a cat?” Their response generally opens up the opportunity for me to talk about my book.
But it is important to know how to talk about your book. I try to address the individual’s concerns or interests. If he tells me that he has a book and is having trouble promoting it, I will talk about the section in my book on promotion. If she says she has a mom who loves cats, I might suggest that Catscapades would make a lovely Mother’s Day gift.
Aside from observing, I also asked a few vendors/authors their selling secrets. Some give a free gift with each book purchase—a related pamphlet, a hand-designed note card or a calendar, perhaps.
Visitor give-aways are always a draw—stickers that say, “I love books” or that are shaped like hearts, for example. Give away bookmarks, candy or advertising pens. I give away magnets with the cover of my Catscapades book on it. One author of a poetry book offered home-made brownies to browsers, yesterday.
Some people are attracted to interesting booths—those with posters or collages using old-timey photographs, sparkly suncatchers, a video or slide show going on inside or some sort of challenge like adding to a color-by-number picture. They like drawings, too.
I think the second most important thing you should keep in mind when working a book festival is your attitude. First, you need a good product for which there is a wide audience base. An obscure scientific tome or your road-to-recovery memoir might not be of interest to the general public. Even a book of poetry is a hard-sell. But if you maintain an outgoing persona and you express a genuine air of friendliness, you’ll have a greater chance of engaging visitors to the point where they might possibly purchase even your obscure book.
I’d like to hear your book festival stories. What worked for you, what didn’t? What mistakes did you or someone else make? What would you do differently next time?
Interesting observations. I am going to the Jozi Book Fair this year and I have an in teresting angle I’m going to use.
@authopublisher
People will try to walk down the middle of the aisle to see vendors on both sides without getting close enough to get hooked. That way they don’t have to make excuses for not buying your product. Small give-aways, off topic remarks about the color of their outfit, a comment about the weather or is the parking lot crowded, will open a conversation and get them to step closer. If you hear a defensive, “I’m just looking,” ask what they’ve seen and say that’s the downside of having a booth – you can’t go look too! And like Patricia says, asking their opinion always draws them in.